Red Hot Chili Peppers are back

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are set to return to music after a two-year break.

The band announced that they will be writing new material this autumn before returning to the studio.

There have been persistant rumours suggesting the band had split for good but drummer Chad Smith confirmed that they were planning a return.

Speaking to Billboard, he said: "That's the plan (to return in October). It'll be two years in September, so now we're ready.

"You can't force people to play when they don't want to play or aren't ready to play or whatever - not in our band, anyway."

He added that there were no specific plans for the new recording sessions, although he is expecting them to pick up where they left off fairly quickly.

And he said they will start with "a lot of improvising and jamming, and songs will come out of that".

He added: "That's what we usually do. I don't know why it would be different".

Red Hot Chili Peppers's last released Stadium Arcadium in 2006.